Homeowners concerned about aggressive dogs on streets after boy mauled

Homeowners are afraid aggressive dogs roaming the streets will hurt pets or children, especially after a teen was mauled by a pack of dogs.

CORPUS CHRISTI -

People in Saxet Heights neighborhood have some real safety concerns about dogs running loose in the streets after a 15-year-old boy was attacked by five dogs as he walked home from school.

That attack happened in front of Driscoll Middle School, right next to the Saxet Heights neighborhood.

When many homeowners step out of their homes, they feel stalked by unaccompanied dogs.

"Look, there's one in the street right now," Natasha Bartlett said. "They're very aggressive. No matter the size of the dog the bite is still the same."

Homeowner Peg Guerra says it happens whenever she goes out with her service dog, Victor.

"Get! Get!" Guerra said to a roaming dog when she took her dog out Tuesday morning.

It makes the walks stressful for both of them.

"He's trying to protect me from the other dogs, and he pulls on my wheelchair," she said. "If we walk past even dogs behind a fence now, he gets really scared, because he has had dogs go at him!"

Others worry about dogs attacking children.

"Some of them start chasing you," Dee Ann Rosa said. "We have grandkids. I have to go on the bikes with them. We carry water bottles just to spray them so they won't keep chasing after us."

People in the neighborhood have literally built new fences to protect themselves from aggressive dogs on the streets.

"It went up about three months ago just so that we could have some outside time with our dogs, because of the stray dogs that will come into your yard and like come after you, in your own yard," Bartlett said.

The homeowners have made multiple calls to Animal Control, but they say sometimes officers do not arrive for hours.

"They're shorthanded, so they don't get here for a while. The dogs are gone by the time they come," Rosa said.

However now that a 15-year-old boy from their neighborhood spent nearly a week in the hospital after being mauled by a pack of dogs, they say *something has to change.

"Children walk through this neighborhood every to get to and from school. It is imperative that we get something done about these animals out here," Bartlett said.

Police, which oversees Animal Control, tell KRIS 6 News they get calls for loose dogs at all hours, from all over the city. Officers get places as fast as they can, but they have to prioritize bite cases.

Dog owners caught letting their pets roam free will get a citation that could result in a $200 fine.

The teenager attacked last week was so badly mauled he had to put in the hospital. He was released to go home earlier today.

Meanwhile, the five dogs that attacked him remain in quarantine. There is no word yet if the dog's owner will face any charges.

The owner of the five dogs that attacked the teen tells KRIS 6 News she is very torn up about the situation. She does not plan to try to get the dogs back into her care after the incident.

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